[Date Prev][Date Next][Thread Prev][Thread Next][Date Index ][Thread Index ]

Reuters-Japan aims to help ASEAN st

Subject: Reuters-Japan aims to help ASEAN states to help themselves 

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

------=_NextPart_000_0038_01BF36DD.D5DA7780
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

Japan aims to help ASEAN states to help themselves=20
05:18 a.m. Nov 24, 1999 Eastern=20
By George Nishiyama=20

TOKYO, Nov 24 (Reuters) - For a change, Japanese Prime Minister Keizo =
Obuchi will not be waving his chequebook when he meets his Southeast =
Asian counterparts in Manila this weekend.=20

In a departure from its traditional diplomacy of handing out financial =
aid to its developing neighbours, Tokyo is aiming to help the region's =
economies and strengthen mutual ties by putting the emphasis on ``people =
skills,'' Japanese officials said.=20

``The economies of Southeast Asia have more or less recovered from the =
financial crisis which hit the region two years ago. What they need now =
is well-trained people so they can rebuild their economies on their =
own,'' said one official.=20

Measures being considered include more student exchanges and the =
despatch of Japanese experts to train local workers.=20

Obuchi will announce a set of steps to promote such exchanges when the =
leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its =
dialogue partners Japan, South Korea and China meet on Sunday in Manila, =
officials said.=20

While Obuchi will not be flashing big bucks, there will be some pledges =
of new money, including funds for ASEAN's secretariat.=20

``We are still working on it, but it is a substantial amount of money =
that will be spent for the purpose of intensified cooperation with other =
ASEAN members,'' Obuchi spokesman Akitaka Saiki said. The daily Nihon =
Keizai Shimbun put the figure earlier this week at 300 million yen =
($2.87 million) a year.=20

Obuchi is also likely to announce that Japan will provide 10 billion yen =
each to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to tackle poverty. =
A finance ministry official said the money would be funnelled via =
non-governmental organisations.=20

DIPLOMATIC FIRSTS=20

Obuchi is also planning a couple of diplomatic initiatives on the =
sidelines of the ASEAN meeting.=20

He will hold talks on Saturday with General Than Shwe, the head of =
Myanmar's ruling State Peace And Development Council, in what will be =
the first meeting between the leaders of the two countries since =
Myanmar's military took power in 1988.=20

Officials said they expected Obuchi to urge the Myanmar government to be =
more flexible with pro-democracy activists.=20

While Washington has maintained sanctions against Myanmar since May 1997 =
for its human rights record, Tokyo has opted for engagement, lifting a =
freeze on economic aid in 1995 after pro-democracy opposition leader =
Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest.=20

Another ``first'' will be a trilateral meeting among Obuchi, Chinese =
Prime Minister Zhu Rongji and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.=20

Japanese officials said the three were likely to discuss economic issues =
rather than political matters.=20

Beijing is seen wanting to avoid the issue of North Korea, while Seoul =
and Tokyo are believed to be at odds over whether to discuss regional =
security.=20

Kim favours ASEAN and the dialogue partners taking up security issues =
more aggressively, but Japan is wary of any security forum that excludes =
the United States, diplomats say.=20


------=_NextPart_000_0038_01BF36DD.D5DA7780
Content-Type: text/html;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content=3D"text/html; charset=3Diso-8859-1" =
http-equiv=3DContent-Type>
<META content=3D"MSHTML 5.00.2614.3500" name=3DGENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=3D#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=3DArial size=3D2><FONT size=3D+1><STRONG>Japan aims to =
help ASEAN=20
states to help themselves</STRONG></FONT> <BR>05:18 a.m. Nov 24, 1999 =
Eastern=20
<P><STRONG>By George Nishiyama</STRONG>=20
<P>TOKYO, Nov 24 (Reuters) - For a change, Japanese Prime Minister Keizo =
Obuchi=20
will not be waving his chequebook when he meets his Southeast Asian =
counterparts=20
in Manila this weekend.=20
<P>In a departure from its traditional diplomacy of handing out =
financial aid to=20
its developing neighbours, Tokyo is aiming to help the region's =
economies and=20
strengthen mutual ties by putting the emphasis on ``people skills,'' =
Japanese=20
officials said.=20
<P>``The economies of Southeast Asia have more or less recovered from =
the=20
financial crisis which hit the region two years ago. What they need now =
is=20
well-trained people so they can rebuild their economies on their own,'' =
said one=20
official.=20
<P>Measures being considered include more student exchanges and the =
despatch of=20
Japanese experts to train local workers.=20
<P>Obuchi will announce a set of steps to promote such exchanges when =
the=20
leaders of the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and its =
dialogue=20
partners Japan, South Korea and China meet on Sunday in Manila, =
officials said.=20
<P>While Obuchi will not be flashing big bucks, there will be some =
pledges of=20
new money, including funds for ASEAN's secretariat.=20
<P>``We are still working on it, but it is a substantial amount of money =
that=20
will be spent for the purpose of intensified cooperation with other =
ASEAN=20
members,'' Obuchi spokesman Akitaka Saiki said. The daily Nihon Keizai =
Shimbun=20
put the figure earlier this week at 300 million yen ($2.87 million) a =
year.=20
<P>Obuchi is also likely to announce that Japan will provide 10 billion =
yen each=20
to the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank to tackle poverty. A =
finance=20
ministry official said the money would be funnelled via non-governmental =

organisations.=20
<P><STRONG>DIPLOMATIC FIRSTS</STRONG>=20
<P>Obuchi is also planning a couple of diplomatic initiatives on the =
sidelines=20
of the ASEAN meeting.=20
<P>He will hold talks on Saturday with General Than Shwe, the head of =
Myanmar's=20
ruling State Peace And Development Council, in what will be the first =
meeting=20
between the leaders of the two countries since Myanmar's military took =
power in=20
1988.=20
<P>Officials said they expected Obuchi to urge the Myanmar government to =
be more=20
flexible with pro-democracy activists.=20
<P>While Washington has maintained sanctions against Myanmar since May =
1997 for=20
its human rights record, Tokyo has opted for engagement, lifting a =
freeze on=20
economic aid in 1995 after pro-democracy opposition leader Aung San Suu =
Kyi was=20
released from house arrest.=20
<P>Another ``first'' will be a trilateral meeting among Obuchi, Chinese =
Prime=20
Minister Zhu Rongji and South Korean President Kim Dae-jung.=20
<P>Japanese officials said the three were likely to discuss economic =
issues=20
rather than political matters.=20
<P>Beijing is seen wanting to avoid the issue of North Korea, while =
Seoul and=20
Tokyo are believed to be at odds over whether to discuss regional =
security.=20
<P>Kim favours ASEAN and the dialogue partners taking up security issues =
more=20
aggressively, but Japan is wary of any security forum that excludes the =
United=20
States, diplomats say. </P></FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>

------=_NextPart_000_0038_01BF36DD.D5DA7780--